The diagnostic value of color Doppler ultrasonography in Hashimoto's thyroiditis with subclinical hypothyroidism

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of ultrasonography in Hashimoto's thyroiditis(HT) with subclinical hypothyroidism.Methods Twenty-one cases of Hashimoto's thyoiditis with subclinical hypothyroidism,twenty-six cases of simple hyperthyroidism and thirty cases of healthy persons confirmed by clinical and laboratory were analyzed retrospectively about their sonographic characers.Quantitive indices such as peak systolic velocity(PSV),time-to-peak velocity(T) of superior thyroid artery(STA) were measured on color Doppler flow imaging(CDFI).Resistanceindex(RI),the heart rate(HR) of STA,T/HR were measured,and the differences among simple hyperthyroidism,healthy persons and HT with subclinical hypothyroidism were analyzed.Results Of all the Hashimoto's thyroiditis with subclinical hypothyroidism patients,there were unsmoothed integume;The echo of isthmus were not homogeneous reduced,and the flow signals enlarged and significant difference in the thickens of isthmus,and irregular thyroid gland with were extremely rich;The PSV of STA in Hashimoto's thyroiditis with subclinical hypothyroidism were higher than in normal group(P0.01),but lower than the hyperthyroid group;The T and T/HR in Hashimoto's thyroiditis with subclinical hypothyroidism were higher than those in hyperthyroid group(P0.01),and the HR in Hashimoto's thyroiditis with subclinical hypothyroidism were lower than that in hyperthyroid group(P0.01).Conclusion As a noninvasive and more convenient examination modality,Color Doppler ultrasound is an important method in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of Hashimoto thyroiditis with subclinical hypothyroidism.